Last week, we invited a small group of customers to be a part of the conversation with Hireology at our latest Customer Connect event. What makes the experience even more unique for attendees is that we invite leaders from all of the industries we serve — from healthcare to automotive. The one uniting factor? They all love the dramatic changes Hireology has made in their hiring efforts. As one customer noted,
“I’ve used a lot of ATS’s [applicant tracking systems] in my day, but Hireology is the best. It’s so easy to use [that] my grandma could do it.”
The discussions we facilitated were enlightening, for both our staff and customers. This session, we focused on how businesses need to retail their open roles like products, need to adjust their positions to incorporate flexibility, how texting can make the hiring process even faster, efficient employee referral practices, and the dramatic difference onboarding makes when done well.
This quarter we were able to host the event in-person at our office in Chicago — and carry the discussions into the evening at our after-hours cocktail. For those who were unable to physically attend, we hosted virtual viewing as well.
The agenda for May’s Customer Connect began with a welcome from Hireology CEO Adam Robinson, followed by his keynote presentation regarding the April Jobs report and what permanent changes the market has undergone since the rise of the pandemic. After Adam, our Senior Vice President of Product and Growth Anil Harjani led the participants through a product presentation featuring some highly requested updates. The rest of the event was focused in three separate breakout sessions where customers were given a backstage pass to the Hireology product, how we practice what we preach to our customers in our own hiring process, and onboarding best practices.
To learn more about the biggest takeaways from the day, read on.
Key takeaways from Customer Connect
Retail your jobs like products: In his keynote, CEO Adam Robinson covered the importance of retailing our jobs like products. Since there are so many available options for employment, you need to think of recruiting candidates as a sales role. Instead of waiting for talent to come to you, sell your open positions like you would your own products and services to customers. Building a job that job seekers actually want means offering the right benefits, flexibility, culture, and more. Promoting the job on the right channels is also necessary — whether that’s via revamped job descriptions, your career site, or your employee referral program. Ultimately, you need to convince the applicant that working for you is better than working for your competitor down the street or even working for themselves.
Importance of flexibility: Adam also discussed how work as we know it has changed permanently because of the pandemic. Today, workers have come to expect some level of flexibility in their jobs — and they’re also willing to forego more pay for the flexibility they need. It’s not necessarily that people even want to work from home so much as they want to be able to live fulfilling lives outside of their shifts. As an employer looking to hire in a highly competitive market, offering some degree of flexibility — whether it’s remote work or giving employees more control over their schedules — is table stakes.
Texting can drastically speed up the hiring process: Many of our customers mentioned the value of texting in the recruiting and hiring process. On average, text messages have a 97% open rate; emails, on the other hand, are opened as little as 15% of the time. So if you’re still relying entirely on email to communicate with applicants and candidates, you’re likely adding days to your hiring process (days that a candidate might be speaking with another potential employer) or worse, your messages are getting lost altogether. In fact, Hireology data shows that texting can actually shave up to five days off the hiring process.
Employee referrals done right: In one of our breakout sessions we focused exclusively on employee referrals and Hireology’s built-in referrals platform, EmployUs. The key to a great employee referral program is strategically reaching your employees where they spend time and making it easier for them to participate. Folks aren’t going to participate if they don’t know you have a program or they aren’t regularly communicated to about your open roles. To get the most out of employee referrals, you need to put in time and effort internally marketing the program and communicating it amongst your staff. Promote your referral program much like you would your product or service — send emails, texts, or use physical flyers to get the word out and generate excitement.
Importance of onboarding: Another breakout session focused on the importance of onboarding. Turnover is highest during the first 90 days on a new job; in fact, 33% of new hires leave during this time. A new hire’s onboarding experience is the best way to improve your company’s retention rate and keep the best members on your team. This time period serves as the foundation for the rest of the time they partner with your business — and first impressions matter. Studies show that 62% of companies experience faster time-to-productivity when they implement a structured onboarding program.
The hiring landscape is constantly changing to match the ebb and flow of the labor market — and Hireology is watching with a close eye for our customer’s best interests. We relish the opportunity to speak face-to-face with our customers and get to know them better while providing them insight into the current hiring trends. We want all of your businesses to succeed, which we are constantly updating and seeking to expand our powerful all-in-one applicant tracking system. For more information on our latest product releases, check out our most recent product release blog.
We’re so excited to have hosted our second Customer Connect event of the year and look forward to the next! In fact, we already have it in our calendar. To claim your spot at our next Customer Connect event, register today.